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Cosimo Palpatine II
Cosimo Palpatine II was a distinguished human male who served as the second Emperor of the Galactic Empire and arguably one of the most powerful Dark Lords in galactic history. Born in 46 BBY on the planet Senex, Palpatine was brought up on Coruscant in a privileged and aristocratic family. During his teenage years, he became a successful speeder racer and started collecting dark side artifacts. Palpatine enlisted in the Imperial Navy as a young adult and briefly served onboard the ''Emperor's Will'' in the Coruscant Defense Fleet. He would eventually marry a woman with whom he would have a daughter named Cybele, though it later ended in divorce. Around 19 BBY, Palpatine also fathered the mutant Triclops, though his pacifist ways would prove to be a disappointment. Several years later, during his time as a political advisor in the Imperial Inner Circle, Palpatine learned that his step-mother was secretly swapping out the medicine used to battle the effects of a virus that his father had been infected with years earlier. Rather than alert anyone, however, Cosimo II decided to use the situation for his own benefit instead; first allowing his father's health to worsen until he inevitably perished and then alerting the authorities with proof of his step-mother's misdeeds. In the wake of the political crisis, the Imperial Senate ultimately chose Cosimo II, the oldest and most direct in line by blood relation, to replace his late father as the next Emperor of the Galactic Empire. Within his first months in power, the new Emperor became the target of a group of treacherous Imperial officers led by Moff Trachta. A devout atheist, Trachta saw the Imperial-affiliated Church of the Dark Side as foolish and archaic, and believed that the Empire should not be ruled by a cult. However, their plot failed in part because of internal fighting between the co-conspirators. The sole remaining conspirator, Moff Kadir, brashly led his contingent of clones to attack Palpatine, but he, along with his guards, disposed of the surviving men with Force lighting. After learning that the clones used in the attack were provided to them by the geneticist and major power behind the Empire, Atha Prime, the Emperor had him exiled deep into the Outer Rim Territories. Within a year of his coronation, Palpatine was thrust into the spotlight as the Galactic Civil War broke out. During the war, the Imperial Military continued to maintain it's status as one of the most powerful military forces in the galaxy and he progressively abandoned his facade of being an enlightened leader, declaring martial law. He soon began to rule through terror symbolized by the Death Star, a superweapon that could lay entire cities to waste. After the Empire suffered a devastating defeat in 0 BBY, in which the Alliance destroyed the Death Star, the Emperor steadily began to lose his absolute control over the galaxy. In 4 ABY, Palpatine gambled his chances in order to annihilate the Rebel Alliance once and for all, allowing Rebel spies to learn of the existence of two more Death Stars near Endor, the moon of Imperial Center. As expected, the Alliance fell for the bait and dispatched its fleet to destroy the Emperor, the incomplete Death Stars and to take the Imperial capital. With the Alliance soon falling for his trap, Palpatine brought Luke Skywalker, the son of Darth Vader, before him in order to turn him over to the dark side. After goading Skywalker to give into his frustrations with thoughts of the Alliance's defeat and the death of his friends, Palpatine eagerly watched as father and son fought one another. However, Skywalker refused to submit to the dark side and spared his father, prompting Palpatine to unleash all of his rage and hatred on Skywalker. Unwilling to watch his son die from the agonizing effects of Palpatine's Force lightning, Vader tackled the astonished Emperor down a shaft and was impaled to death. Throughout the rest of the Galactic Civil War, the Empire experienced a sharp decline while the Alliance had reformed itself into the New Republic after taking the Imperial capital. Biography Early life Cosimo Palpatine II was born on the planet Imperial Center in 46 BBY to the House of Palpatine's patriarch, Cosimo, and the teenage socialite, Etha Mekuun. His mother's parents wanted her to end the pregnancy because of her young age. Ultimately, Etha decided to deliver the baby but an agreement was made between the two families that House Palpatine would raise the child. After being born, the child was named after his father and taken by Cosimo I and his family. Cosimo II would very rarely, if at all, see his biological mother from then on, resulting in a resentment towards her that lasted the rest of his life. Palpatine was at first raised in his family's ancestral home, situated in the Great Western Sea, but later lived at the Imperial Palace with his younger sisters, Cosmina and Delice and his younger brothers, Dantius and Dalibor. From an early age Palpatine identified himself as different from his peers and siblings, recognizing a great power within himself, and believing that he was born to lead like his father. Although the young heir longed to kill his father and assume his reign as Galactic Emperor, Palpatine grudgingly concealed his patricidal desires for years. Galactic Civil War The Empire under Palpatine The new Emperor kept himself busy during the first years of his tenure, establishing relationships with respected public figures in key positions of government. As it grew, the list of friends included Senators both weak and powerful, military officers, members of the great organs of commerce, and members of the Church of the Dark Side. Palpatine surprised everyone as he became increasingly popular. He wrote extensively, which lead to his notes on power becoming popular texts among political and military science students, and his theories were even taught at leading universities throughout the galaxy. Many of those with whom he formed friendships would eventually have prominent positions in the Empire. Others would meet radically different fates. Palpatine also promoted his cousin and aide Sate Pestage to Grand Vizier, who was given the power to control all access to the Emperor. The ruthless Ars Dangor was also an aide to Palpatine at this time, though information about his activities is far more scarce. Dangor was eventually given a prime place among the Imperial Advisors, and Palpatine consulted with him on galactic-security issues, especially those dealing with the Rebellion. He ran much of the day-to-day affairs of the Empire, and was a powerful and charismatic public speaker. He was also responsible for all public addresses. Trachta's insurrection Within his first months in power, Palpatine, Darth Vader and others became the targets of a group of treacherous Imperial officers led by Moff Trachta. A devout atheist, Trachta saw the Church of the Dark Side as foolish and archaic, and believed that the Empire should not be ruled by a cult. They planned to use a batch of altered stormtroopers loyal only to them to destroy anyone in power who was loyal to the Church. The clones were provided to them by the geneticist and major power behind the Empire, Atha Prime, who had become an enemy of the Emperor's. Palpatine at that time was to depart to oversee the finalizations of a then-nearly finished Orbital nightcloak, with his own shuttle being prepped for launch. Skosef, alongside a contingent of Trachta clone stormtroopers, snuck a bomb aboard the shuttle. Palpatine, however, discovered the threat via the Force and ordered for the procession to his shuttle to halt, moments before detonation. Although he himself survived, several stormtroopers as well as half of his own royal guardsmen were killed in the blast, which Trachta had intended, offering his stormtrooper squad to replace the ones lost, knowing full well that they were programmed to kill Palpatine when the opportunity presented itself. However, their plot failed in part because of internal fighting between the co-conspirators. The sole remaining conspirator, Moff Kadir, then brashly led his contingent of clones to attack Palpatine, also killing several of the Imperial officers in the process. However, Palpatine had anticipated their arrival and attack, and had his guardsmen attack the guards before he personally disposed of the surviving men with Force lighting. He then let Kadir live long enough to witness the full failure of the attempted coup before electrocuting him to death. courtesan Roganda Ismaren In May of 4 BBY, Palpatine suffered another assassination attempt when his throne was rigged with a bomb underneath, an attempt only foiled by Vader Force-pushing the Emperor out of the way and then Force-pushing the throne out before the bomb detonated. The ones responsible were the Heinsnake Cult, a cult of sorcerers who had been believed to have been long deceased. Palpatine, quickly realizing the threat posed by them to his rule, as well as to the Empire, dispatched Vader to locate the cult and wipe them out. Shortly after the attempt on his life, Palpatine passed a rumor that Darth Vader tracked down and destroyed a conclave of fifty Jedi single-handedly, greatly exaggerating the event, which only involved eight Jedi and also required the aid of the 501st. The false rumor helped keep fear running in the galaxy. Shortly after he became Emperor, Palpatine began constructions in the dangerous Deep Core on the planet Byss to turn it into a secret throne world immediately after killing Plagueis. Byss was a dark side conduit, able to give its inhabitants great power in using the Force. Along with the power of Byss, Palpatine slowly fed on the life energy of his workers, to lengthen his own life. He had the Church of the Dark Side bring a number of captured Jedi survivors to the planet in order to train them into powerful servants. Vader was ordered to select worthy pupils, and dispose of the rest. Palpatine was also responsible for the devastation of Caamas. The Emperor saw the respected Caamasi as a threat to the Empire. A group of Bothan infiltrators were responsible for sabotaging Caamas's shield generators, leaving the planet vulnerable to Imperial orbital bombardment. The once beautiful world was devastated during this attack, turned into a poisoned wasteland. The peaceful Caamasi were dispersed throughout the galaxy.Star Wars: Specter of the Past An example is made Palpatine was equally thorough in dealing with traitorous Senators who were off Coruscant at the time, or had escaped. One was Senator Canna Omonda, Mon Mothma's successor as representative from Chandrila. Many Senators had hoped Omonda would intercede for them. But Omonda, seeing no point, did not try to gain an audience, instead becoming one of the few Senators, perhaps the only one, to leave Coruscant before the noose tightened. But she made a parting shot in her remarks to the press as she boarded a transport bound for Chandrila: Omonda left the capital, but Palpatine could not let her remain at large, so he therefore dispatched an "honor escort" of three Imperial Star Destroyers to Chandrila, to bring her back to Coruscant for a "short interview" with High Inquisitor Halmere. The Chandrilans took the hint that the "escort" would devastate Chandrila if they refused to release her, and so Omonda was turned over to the Inquisitorius. Omonda soon confessed to acts of treason, giving her interrogators the names of people she had passed classified information to. The night of the confession, in his before-dinner remarks at the Palace, Palpatine again donned his well-worn mask of firm benevolence for the sake of the press. Omonda's public execution was scheduled as part of the traditional New Year Fete Week celebrations (1 ABY), but this was canceled in light of "security concerns." No specific reason was given, but the government likely feared that Rebels or their sympathizers might disrupt the event. Even without the executions, the awesome power of the Empire was displayed to full effect. The traditional parade passed before the Palatial Balcony, where Palpatine often appeared, flanked by Ismaren, Vader and numerous lieutenants. Since Palpatine was not on the balcony throughout the entire parade, it is possible that he went to visit her before her death or to watch her die.Star Wars Adventure Journal 5 Palpatine was also heard remarking that if sending up two traitors in a row was how Chandrila rewarded him for his favor, it might benefit from more direct supervision.Star Wars Adventure Journal 4 Chandrila duly received its direct supervision, and its legal government soon vanished. At some point, with the growing rebellion, Palpatine had one of his ranking advisors, Ars Dangor, issue a speech regarding dealing with the Rebel Alliance which was intended to be issued specifically to the various moffs and governors, making clear that they should adopt a policy of terror. The speech ended up leaked by Rebel sympathizers. The dissolution of the Senate From the beginning of his reign, Palpatine sought to remove the Senate. The first reason was symbolic, as he could not leave a reminder of the Republic lying about. The second was political, as some Senators still opposed him. His obedient majority tried keeping them in check, but they understood they were only there to prop up the illusion of democracy. He dealt with the outspoken ones when they appeared, but others sprouted in their place. Worse, some of them, he suspected, were providing the Rebels with funds, information, and resources.Rebellion Era Sourcebook He had waited until the time was right, all the while sapping their power. Finally, in the eleventh month of the year, with the governmental infrastructure in place (the governors, Moffs, and Grand Moffs), with the military, as always, obeying him without question, and with the Death Star, the Tarkin Doctrine's ultimate tool, finally complete and tested, he was ready. Warrants were issued for the arrest of all suspected Rebels. Stormtroopers burst into the Senate, and hundreds were detained. Some, those learned to have had Rebel affiliations, were never seen again. The following morning, the remaining Senators, unaware of what had happened, came to work only to find themselves locked out of their offices and chambers. Some tried to appeal to Palpatine directly, but were told that their diplomatic access to the Palace had been suspended "for the duration of the emergency." Many of them had been present when the Senate gave power to him. They too were arrested and interrogated. Many who were released left Coruscant for their homeworlds, and a peaceful—and isolated—retirement. The small number of Senators that remained, the ones who had most voraciously upheld the party line, were generously rewarded with their lives and new positions. Many of them donned ornate jeweled robes and joined the swelling ranks of Imperial advisors. Palpatine had killed what was left of the Constitution. A new pyramidal structure was imposed, with himself at its summit, then the Grand Moffs who ruled Oversectors, then the Moffs who ruled sectors, then the governors of individual worlds. All of them owed their careers to the Emperor and gave him their allegiance. But even here, he had extra guarantees. He had long since inserted COMPNOR into every level of the bureaucracy, to insure that each one followed his dictates. For all the power of the Moffs and Grand Moffs, COMPNOR stood behind them, more powerful still. And behind them all stood the Death Star, enforcing his will at gunpoint. He did not know, or did not care, that in the end, it would make the Rebellion even more emboldened than before. The subjection of Alderaan and loss at Yavin In the absence of the Senate, Palpatine had established an environment where even his subordinates were capable of terrible atrocities against sentients. From the very beginning of its design, it was intended that the Death Star be capable of destroying entire planets. But most Imperial strategists were certain that the threat alone would be enough to keep most worlds in line. Tarkin felt differently, as he saw it, the Rebels were growing bolder, and only a very public demonstration of the battlestation's power against a Rebel target would succeed in giving them pause. His argument convinced Palpatine. The Emperor approved in advance the destruction of a planet's city, and thereby the mass murder of its entire population. He knew it would be used on an inhabited world. But he did not know in advance that it was to be Alderaan. Tarkin alone made this decision, facing down even Vader to do so. If Palpatine knew about Tarkin's intent from that point onward, it would only be because Vader made a report to him after the decision was made, but before the station entered the Alderaan system and carried out its mission. Palpatine's private feelings on the tragedy were a mystery, but publicly he announced that he was saddened by the loss of such a noble city, and adding that had Alderaan entrusted itself to Imperial protection, it would still be thriving. In other words, the destruction of Aldera might not have been necessary had Bail Organa simply bowed under as he was supposed to. It was later announced by Palpatine's proxies that he himself had ordered the destruction of Aldera after the Empire had obtained "irrefutable evidence" that bioweapons had supposedly been created in the city. The possibility that some of these bioweapons had been taken off-world to Rebel cells was dangled in front of the compliant press, to keep the terrified Core Worlds in line and justify a permanent state of emergency. As a result, the Empire put more time and resources than ever before into crushing the Rebellion, flushing out Rebel strongholds throughout the galaxy and conquering worlds that had allied themselves with the Alliance. Tarkin, with his Doctrine, had promulgated a fear-driven principle of governance. But shortly after the destruction of Alderaan, the Death Star itself was destroyed by the Rebel Alliance in the Battle of Yavin. Palpatine ordered the creation of two more Death Star's near Imperial Center's moon Endor, ironically shortly before Luke Skywalker had destroyed the first Death Star. Grand Moff Tarkin, who was aboard the battle station at the time and refused to evacuate, was killed in the station's destruction. But while this was a great loss for the Empire, Palpatine nonetheless found ways to turn the situation to his advantage. Even so, he punished Darth Vader for this failure. He also suspected that Vader was searching for the force-sensitive pilot in order to betray him. The Emperor deduced the name of the pilot and dropped a hint to Vader about the pilot's identity to indicate his knowledge of his apprentice's intentions. In various points of the war, Palpatine was briefed by Darth Vader on the progress of their fights against the Rebellion. In particular, Palpatine expressed some disappointment at the setback to the Blockade of Yavin, although Vader assured him that it was only temporary. Others would have to answer for their incompetence, most notably the Death Star's principal engineer, Bevel Lemelisk. Upon hearing of the Yavin fiasco, Lemelisk, correctly fearing for his life, went into hiding. It did not take long for Imperial Intelligence to track the engineer to his remote retreat on Hefi, and "summon" him to an audience with his Emperor. When he entered Palpatine's audience chamber, he made the tragic mistake of trying to bluff his way through, believing that Palpatine did not know what had really happened. The Emperor set him straight at once. Palpatine used the Force to trap Lemelisk within a wire-mesh cage, and then released into the cage a swarm of winged insects, piranha beetles he had long ago "rescued" from Yavin 4. Palpatine was greatly amused as the insects made shreds of his engineer. After the man's death, Lemelisk was slowly lowered into a vat of molten copper which burned what was left of his corpse away a centimeter at a time. When Sate Pestage felt bold enough to ask why copper, Palpatine simply told him that that was what the smelter had used that day. Plotting against Luke Skywalker Despite telling Vader to be ruthless in his attempts to crush the rebellion and kill them all, Palpatine was unconcerned about the Rebellion. For the present, it was useful, to accustom his subjects to a state of permanent martial law. He could accept some interference from the Rebels if it helped him in the long run. Without the Force on their side, they could never truly hurt him. Palpatine also believed that the Rebels were not fully aware of the scope of his plans to ultimately defeat them, due to the Rebel defector, Sarkli's resourcefulness, especially in regards to the latter successfully retrieving scientists that the Rebels were attempting to rescue at Bakura. Following a major victory in capturing a Rebel base on Hoth (3 ABY), Palpatine demanded to the de jure head of Death Squadron, Admiral Firmus Piett, to tell Vader to make contact with him. After getting out of Hoth's asteroid field, Palpatine, after delaying his communicating with Vader due to a foul mood, then told Vader that his son, Luke Skywalker, was becoming a grave threat to the Empire due to his growing Force potential and training, and that he must not become a Jedi. Vader convinced Palpatine that it would be beneficial for both of them if Luke was converted to the dark side.Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back In actuality, Vader already knew by that point that Skywalker was highly Force-sensitive as well as alive, and had been actively searching for him, secretly planning to use Luke to help him overthrow the Emperor. Shortly after the duel at Bespin, Palpatine chastised Vader's failure to convert Luke to the dark side, and also implied suspicions of Vader not even wanting to turn Luke, although Vader replied that he did nonetheless manage to sow the seeds of ambition into him, and reminded him that turning Luke to the dark side was Vader's idea. Sometime afterwards, around the same time Vader and then-Vice Admiral Thrawn tracked down and destroyed a Rebel stronghold near a planet in the Outer Rim, Palpatine ordered for virtually all of the Imperial Naval forces (and presumably the other Imperial Military branches) to head to the Imperial Center for his announcement on the progress of the war. From his Audience Chamber at the Imperial Palace, he announced that the war was nearly over with the Galactic Empire soon to experience final victory over the Rebel forces, citing Vader's attacks on Rebel strongholds as testament to this. During this time, Palpatine also had extensive involvement with Xizor, the leader of the Black Sun crime cartel. Xizor saw himself as a rival to Darth Vader and worked hard to ingratiate himself to Palpatine and alienate Vader from his master. According to Xizor, Palpatine seemed to enjoy goading the two rivals, ordering Vader to express gratitude after Xizor revealed the location of a Rebel shipyard.Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Palpatine also approved a plan of Xizor's to eliminate the Bounty Hunters' Guild, again over Vader's objections. The Emperor also sent Vader over to escort supplies shipped by Prince Xizor's merchant fleet to the in-production Death Stars. In actuality, the escort mission was a miser's bargain to distract him while he arranged for Prince Xizor to assassinate Luke Skywalker. While Vader desired to capture Luke Skywalker, Xizor made repeated attempts to kill the aspiring Jedi. Palpatine observed this power struggle and planted the Death Star plans on a freighter of Xizor's, which was intercepted and captured by the Rebels. However, when Vader destroyed Xizor's skyhook and fleet, Palpatine showed little concern over the loss. To him, Xizor was merely another in a long line of expendable servants. Death Star trap Fight for the Imperial system Death Legacy The Empire was devastated with the death of their leader, which ultimately resulted in the splintering of the Empire into several factions for some time. The Galactic Empire attempted to cover up Palpatine's death from the general public, but their attempts were foiled by the various pro-Rebel groups, who transmitted footage of the toppling of the Imperial Palace to nearly every personal and official flatscreen throughout the galaxy. This led to various uprisings against the Empire. The Empire at first did not believe that Darth Vader was responsible for the Emperor's death. After Vader, who now was going by his birth name of Anakin Skywalker, admitted his betrayal to the media, the Imperial government refused to acknowledge this and instead claimed that Vader had died trying to protect the Emperor. In testament to Palpatine's popularity, a year-long period of mourning was instituted throughout the Empire following his death. Sometime later, Lord Cronal, also known as Blackhole, had created an adaptation of the events leading to his death with a pro-Imperial slant near its ending. Its depiction of Palpatine was as a tragic figure who was manipulated by Darth Vader, and then killed mercilessly by Vader before Skywalker killed Vader to avenge the fallen Emperor. Skywalker expressed disgust for the thriller in question. In addition, the Galactic Museum, due to Imperial influence at the time, tried to portray yet another alternate version, claiming that both Death Star's were actually Rebel Alliance weapons, and had Palpatine and Vader sacrificing themselves to destroy the weapons. Wedge Antilles, during a mission at the museum, remarked that the story was as compelling as the true history, despite the obvious propaganda.Star Wars: Wedge's Gamble Nevertheless, Palpatine's legacy would endure long after his ultimate defeat. His entire reign as Galactic Emperor led to galactic strife and the deaths of trillions. Though there were still many citizens affiliated with the Empire that greatly respected and even admired his leadership ability, perceived boldness as well as his character. The loss of the Emperor did not stop the remnants of the Empire from continuing the Galactic Civil War for almost another two decades. The New Order also managed to survive despite the Empire's defeat, in large part thanks to his younger brother Dantius. Personality and traits Cosimo Palpatine II was noted for his arrogance, pridefullness, calm demeanor and immense power. He was considered by many to be extremely evil, though he did not believe himself to be, once calling evil "a label we all put on those who threaten us.". His arrogance, or rather his pride, was indeed one of his defining traits. Palpatine himself considered it the very thing that allowed him to excel beyond the limits of normal men, the thing that granted him such enormous willpower and ironically was also the thing that lead to his downfall. He considered himself to be one of the most, if not the most, brilliant men in galactic history. Palpatine's exceptional leadership skills were also renowned and he often displayed the power necessary to keep everything under his control. From very young, his only goal was nothing less than the acquisition of absolute power. In this personal quest, he was also patient, vastly intelligent, and an incredible actor able to keep up the facade of good intentions for some time, with his cheery demeanor, and the trademark Palpatine smile. Considered a genius by nature, it was his enormous pride that forced him to try and be the best in all regards. His studious and perfectionist disposition led to him becoming an expert in several sciences, military tactics and dark side sorcery. Palpatine was a manipulative and seductive megalomaniac, easily bending others to his will in his quest for supremacy and ultimate power. Palpatine also displayed traits of psychopathy, including extreme sadism and cruelty, taking considerable pleasure in the suffering and deaths of others. In fact, he was known to cultivate life-forms for the sole purpose of eventually killing them. His inherent sadism also had its roots with his father, Cosimo I, who was known to have an interest in violence, one of the things he had in common with him. Due to his upbringing, he rarely permitted himself to display weakness. Even as a child, Palpatine was demonstrated to be manipulative, sociopathic, and self-centered. This was especially evident by his frequent breaking of various rules and social norms, knowing full well that his father, whom he hated, would simply pay off the authorities to make the problem disappear. However, this enormous hubris had its downsides. For example, Palpatine very rarely, if ever, believed that he was wrong. And while it granted him the aura of a natural leader, it also made him appear as arrogant as any man could possibly be which made many people hate him even as they submitted to his power. It also led many to oppose him for it as well, all the while commanding respect still. Nevertheless, Palpatine was humble enough to realize that he could not know everything. He was also noted for his lack of forgiveness. Darth Vader, who was known for murdering the officers who had failed him in cold blood, considered Palpatine to be even less clement than himself. Conversely, he could be quite benevolent to his subjects, at times even tolerating mistakes or failure if their skills were useful enough to warrant this, as long as it was made clear that he was the superior in all things. He was instinctively treacherous, betraying and killing numerous beings who worked alongside of him, such as Darth Vader. Though he claimed to never break a promise with one he considered honorable. In addition, he did not tolerate foolishness, insubordination, incompetence or a lack of honour. Although possessed of an insatiable hunger for power, he honestly believed that the Imperial form of government was best for the galaxy, and in time came to regard himself as something of a savior. He also viewed all sentient beings bereft of the Force as inferiors, likening them to children floundering about aimlessly, ignorant of their own shortcomings and incapable of fulfilling their aspirations. Palpatine considered the wise and powerful as responsible for providing guidance for such lesser entities in order to allow for a thriving civilization. Extremely proud of his heritage, he deemed only the House of Palpatine as worthy of realizing this philosophy, and saw it as his birthright to lead the Empire to heights never before seen, and thus endeavored to control the galaxy forever. Palpatine was also a prolific author. His notes on political and military sciences became popular texts, and his theories on these subjects were taught at universities throughout the galaxy. In fact, Palpatine began devoting some effort towards writing a series of books about dark lore and histories, the Dark Side Compendium. One of his texts in particular, the Principles of Power, was noted as one of the Emperor's notable achievements, and was mandatory reading for Imperial Moffs at the height of the Empire. Palpatine was a known patron of the arts, attending the opera whenever able and surrounding himself with unique statuary and decorative antiques. Palpatine also held some hatred and disgust for the Wookiee holiday Life Day, especially due to the Rebel Alliance being involved. He once had a publicist relay to Hol't Deb Orah of Corellia Times "that he'll give those celebrating the holiday his official "Bah, humbug!", even though he refuses to acknowledge the efforts made by the Rebels". Despite his exceptional skills in the sciences and his mastery of the dark side, Palpatine was no less susceptible to fear than any other. For example, Luke Skywalker detected traces of fear residing within Palpatine. Relationships Romances As Galactic Emperor, Palpatine surrounded himself with concubines at the Imperial Court. Most who claimed intimacy with the Emperor did so out of a desire to position themselves as power-brokers. The legal details of a potential Emperor's wedding were specifically included in Imperial law, and in fact specified that the bride would forfeit her rights and become the groom's property.Star Wars: Queen of the Empire Tanith Palpatine Prior to his ascension to Emperor, Cosimo II was married to to a woman of high status. The two weaned a daughter named Cybele but later divorced. Niobi Roganda Ismaren Ysanne Isard Director of Intelligence Ysanne Isard once told Corran Horn that she had loved the Emperor, but mostly for his power.Star Wars: Isard's Revenge Powers and Abilities Cosimo Palpatine II was believed to be one of the most powerful Dark Lords in history, firmly believing himself to be the most powerful ever. Lightsaber Training Dantius Palpatine was incredibly skilled in lightsaber combat, and one of the greatest duelists of all time. A Swordmaster, Palpatine managed to fight and defeat Luke Skywalker in a one-on-one lightsaber duel on Byss. He was ambidextrous and could change his fighting style at a whim, keeping his opponents unsure of what his next move would be. A master of every form of lightsaber combat and stances, Palpatine drew his opponents in, fighting less than his true capability, and then striking the fatal blow when his opponents thought they had the better of him. When fighting at full strength, the Dark Lord was a terrifying opponent. The Emperor used a combination of all forms and had an extremely aggressive dueling style, which allowed him to defeat experienced Jedi with very little effort. Force abilities Cosimo Palpatine II was considered to be one of the greatest Force users of all time, perceived in the Force by Jard Dooku, as a "black hole of the dark side." Palpatine was a master of Force lightning and was known to use this both as a lethal attack, and as a way of torturing his enemies. In addition, he could use this power to light up the surface of a an entire planet. He was also extremely skilled with telekinesis, using this ability with incredible dexterity and precision. Likewise, he was skilled enough with telekinesis that he was also able to remove Luke Skywalker's restraints while barely even lifting his finger when meeting face to face on the Death Star. Palpatine also possessed the power of Force Flight, implementing it on occasion. Palpatine was also the only known being capable of producing a Force storm of his own power, a dark side technique which he himself discovered. Among the Emperor's powers was the ability to channel the collective life essences of billions to sustain himself and his Dark Side Adepts, his victims would live in a dream-like state while his own power grew. The entire population of Byss lived under this spell until much of the main continent's destruction by the Galaxy Gun. It was mentioned by Luke Skywalker that the Emperor's very voice had a hypnotic lull to it whenever he was outwardly projecting his dark side Force powers. Palpatine was highly adept at foreseeing the future, often utilizing the power to see his plots to fruition, ensuring that all would proceed as he had envisioned. Furthermore, the Dark Lord was a master of Force stealth and also possessed knowledge of Dark magic, allowing him to use arcane rituals to detect poisons and drugs in food and drink. Appearances *''Star Wars: A New Hope'' *''Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back'' *''Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire'' *''Star Wars: Return of the Jedi'' }} Notes and references Category:Humans Category:Males Category:Emperors of the Galactic Empire Category:House of Palpatine Category:Dark Lords Category:Royalty Category:Authors Category:Force-sensitives Category:Torturers and interrogators Category:Imperial science and engineering personnel Category:Imperial Army personnel of the Galactic Empire Category:Sorcerers Category:Order of the Canted Circle members Category:Inhabitants of Coruscant Category:Alchemists